“You’ll find them,” he says confidently.
“They’re getting clearer. Doing something I love helps.”
He nods. “I’m glad. You deserve the stars, Freya.”
His eyes hold mine for a few seconds before he rips them away and focuses on the TV again.
I follow his lead, but while the men might shoot around on the ice, I don’t really see any of them.
“Are you sure you’re okay with me staying here tonight?” I ask quietly. Although I’m half expecting him to tell me that he’s thought it through and that he’s changed his mind, I can’t lie, it’d sting to hear it.
I like being here a lot more than I think I probably should. I’m relaxed and at home in his apartment, and that’s a dangerous feeling when the only place I belong here is in the kitchen.
“Freya, I wouldn’t offer if I weren’t sure. The guest room is sitting there empty. The bed may as well get some use.”
I know he means to sleep. I know that. But it doesn’t stop my face from burning up.
“It’s a very comfortable bed,” I mutter quietly.
“You’re tired, and so am I. If you really want to go home, I’ll take you. But?—”
“No. You should rest. I don’t want to be responsible for our tendy being too exhausted to win more shutout games. What?” I ask when he turns to look at me with an expression on his face I can’t quite read. Is it…is it pride?
“You just dropped some hockey slang like it was nothing,” he points out with a smile.
“Anyone would think I’ve been hanging out with a player,” I tease.
“Not just a player. The award-winning goalie of the LA Vipers,” he states cockily.
“You forgot arrogant,” I point out. As I question whether I should have said that, he barks out a laugh.
“I love hanging out with you, Freya. You always know how to drag me back down to earth.”
“Well, someone’s got to. I’ve seen the way the fans and bunnies act around you.”
He continues to chuckle, and I’d be lying if I said the deep rumble didn’t do something to my insides.
Cole is hot. Always. But seeing him relaxed is a whole new level of hot I didn’t realize existed.
“Well, thank you for your important work for society. You should share your skills with some of my teammates, though. Killer and Rett could really do with a reality check.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Not sure my magic will work on them, though. They don’t seem to have a reason to care about what I say like you do.”
“You have no idea.”
“W-what?” I ask. Did I hear him wrong?
“Nothing,” he says quickly, before pushing himself to the edge of the couch. “Seeing as you’re staying, would you like a drink?”
He pads through to the kitchen, leaving me with little choice but to watch his ass as he moves.
“I can’t drink coffee at this time; I’ll never sleep,” I say.
“Hell no. I’ll be wired for hours with how strong my coffee is. I had something a little different in mind.”
“I trust you,” I say. The words roll off my tongue easily, but from the way his movements still and his shoulders tense, I get the feeling they hit harder than intended.
He clears his throat before grabbing two mugs and getting to work.
